MILWAUKEE -- This past Friday, a day before Tony Gwynn's funeral, Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg pitched six innings and allowed four runs on nine hits during the team's 6-4 loss to the Braves.

Asked on Monday if he was pitching with a heavy heart, Strasburg said, "I'm not going to sit there and make excuses. He wasn't that type of guy either."

Strasburg was disappointed that he wasn't able to attend Gwynn's funeral on Saturday.

"I thought there was an outside chance I would be able to fly home and attend the private service that they had on Saturday," Strasburg said. "There was no possible way. It kind of sucked not being able to be there for it."

Gwynn's funeral was held at San Diego State University, and Strasburg was happy to hear that so many people attended the service at his alma mater.

"He was such an unbelievable person, human being. I mean he touched so many lives. Not only in the San Diego area, but all of baseball," Strasburg said. "One of the things that I really enjoyed watching him as a kid was, he was intense out there on the field, but he always cracked a smile. You could see that everyone was drawn to him. Given a chance to know him on a personal level, you could see how could brighten everyone's day. When we weren't playing well, he always had a smile on his face."

During Monday's interview, Strasburg was chewing tobacco. Gwynn believed chewing tobacco was the reason he developed salivary gland cancer. Strasburg said he plans to quit chewing tobacco for the sake of his daughter.

Strasburg said he started chewing tobacco long before he started playing for Gwynn at San Diego State. Strasburg said he didn't know that Gwynn dipped.

"I think it's a disgusting habit, looking back on it," Strasburg said. "I was pretty naive when I started. Just doing it here and there, I didn't think it was going to be such an addiction. … Bottom line is, I want to be around for my family. This is something that can affect people the rest of your life. [Chewing tobacco is] so prevalent in this game. It's something we all kind of grew up doing."